A Shoe Story
by 1982toNow
Summary: Max remebers one of the reasons he loved and still loves 99.


Max had just tucked the children in bed after their baths and special story time. He had just told his five year old twins Ninna and Zachary the story of when he had become so vain and embarrassed about being shorter than their beautiful mother. Max found that telling the children about 99 kept her alive not only in their hearts but in his heart as well. He missed her so much. He had not removed her pillowcase from the pillow that she laid her head on nightly in their marital bed, hoping somehow that the sweet aroma of her lavender and vanilla scented shampoo would linger just a little while longer. The scent was beginning to fade after five long and trying years.

Max made his way downstairs and sat at the bar. He fixed his usual Gibson but added extra gin to the mix tonight. "I could really, really use a Marlboro right about now….", Max said to himself. He had given up smoking the day that he and 99's mother brought the twins home from the hospital. Looking over to the arm of the sofa, Max realized that he had left his trench coat and briefcase sitting there in the open; he was in a hurry to relieve 99's mother that evening due to her having a meeting to attend. She had been a Godsend to Max and the children after 99's untimely death. Gathering the coat and briefcase, he opened the closet door in the living room and put them in their proper places. Just as Max was closing the door, he caught sight of a large box covered with a cloth. He sighed deeply, a tear forming in one of his eyes. He knew all too well what the contents of this box was. He laughed slightly to himself at his own silliness and vanity. Max pulled the box from its sitting place and kneeled down on the floor to look inside. The box contained several of pairs of 99's high heeled shoes. There was even the beige pair that contained her own shoephone. Memories flooded through agent 86 like a painful yet happy river. Max hated nighttime. It was a time when all was still and gave his heart and mind a chance to remember a time when he was a happily married man. He hated the term "widower". It made him cringe.

86 remembered the day that 99 packed her heels neatly in a box…..

1968.…

Max and 99 strode hand in hand along the street on their way to 99's apartment after a quiet spaghetti supper at the diner down the street. They had had a wonderful evening discussing their upcoming nuptials and happenings at CONTROL. Max slightly craned his neck to look up at his fiancee' as she spoke. "Max, love, what on earth are you staring at?", 99 asked Max with a chuckle. Max could feel his cheeks redden. He Had been hiding the fact that 99 being so much taller than him was a bone of contention in his heart. He had even been to the shoe store to buy lifts to place in his shoes to gain him a few inches, but the inserts caused him great pain in his back after wearing them for the course of an entire day. He was 5 feet 4 inches on a good day, and his height had always made him the object of ridicule when he was a kid and a teenager. Now he felt that his height made him inadequate to the woman he loved. Before Max could say a word, 99 said, "Oh, Max. it's the height thing, isn't it. I always had this problem with boys when I was growing up. They were all intimidated by my height. I hardly ever had a date when I was in high school. I must've been the tallest girl in Twin Falls!" 99 looked down at her long legs in disgust. Max began to feel awful at his streak of vanity that reared its ugly head. He took 99's hands in his as they both sat down on a bench. He gently lifted 99's chin and looked into her deep blue eyes. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry for being so touchy. You're perfect to me. The first thing I looked at after I realized you were a girl was how great your long legs looked in those chauffer's uniform pants. I'm the one that's insecure about my height. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I don't want you to EVER feel insecure about your height. You're the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes on. 99, I love you!", Max exclaimed. "Oh, Max…", 99 sighed breathlessly as she leaned in to kiss her future husband.

Months later just before they were wed, Max noticed that 99 had taken to wearing flats and had even worn little more than a low kitten heel on their wedding day. He secretly missed the way her slender, toned legs looked as she walked in her high heels. "99, what happened to all your shoes? You had so many. Where'd they go?", Max asked one night as they ate supper. 99 was on the spot. She questioned in her mind whether she should tell the truth or not. "Umm, I gave them to Mother. She was always admiring them. Besides, I'm an old married lady now; I don't need all those racy shoes anyway.", 99 chuckled as she ate another bite of meat loaf. Max didn't give it another thought until over a year later.

After 99's death, Max solemnly read his beloved's diary, amazed at page after page of professions of love from 99's heart to him. One entry in particular touched his heart:

_July 4__th__, 1968_

_Dear Diary,_

_Happy birthday, America! Max and I just got back from the fireworks show on the national mall. We set up a picnic and watched the lovely sights of our nation's capitol at night. Max held me and we kissed….he's such a tender and gentle guy. He never tries to go too far. He wants our wedding night to be special, and I respect him for that. I've noticed lately that Max has been putting lifts in his shoes. I can tell they hurt him, because he hobbles out of the office every night when we get off of work. I think I'm going to stop wearing heels. If I'm going to be his wife, then I'm going to do all I can to treat him with respect. If it makes my Love feel better, then its flat shoes for me! Gotta get some sleep! Can't wait to go shoe shopping tomorrow. I'll call agent Charlie to see if she (he?) wants to come along…._

Max thought to himself as he sat before the large box of shoes how special 99 was, how she always put him first, how she always made sure his ego was intact. There would never be another like her. Max replaced the box, closed the closet and went upstairs to bed, but not before peeking in at his children as they slept. Seeing them day in and day out made Max feel that his beloved wife was right by his side, forever.


End file.
